Vendor Experience Postings - Comments

[59-in-pieces]

To All,
I have read the Forum Rules and searched through the site discussions on this topic, made almost since dirt - 05 - 06 - 07- 11.  I know in relative terms of Forum longevity, who is this whippersnapper that drags up this subject again.

In so far as I can tell, there are a fair number of us who use the Forum and who are novices and more importantly who do not have deep pockets.  We are the folks who literally can not afford to make mistakes.  We are those shallow pocket folks that seek advice from the veterans of our particular choice in Cadillac years or styles.  We need experienced advice on the how to do this or that, with the always welcome be careful not to do the other thing.

It seems to me that we are not giving the benefit of the doubt to the opinions of our mentors - like a jury might, set'm free or burn'm - when it comes to asking the question of how we spend our money safely and wisely.

To give background to this inquiry, and focus on my dilemma, I have focused exclusively on 59 Biarritz Eldos and now I'm venturing out to 47 convertibles and a 57 Eldo Biarritz.  There are those who contribute on the Forum for each of these years, but not always the same contributors for all years.  The same is true for vendors who generalize and those who specialize.  How can one enthusiast know about all vendors without the guidance of others who share that specific passion.

So I ask, if we continue to be forbidden to share our negative experiences with various vendors in the open Forum, is it also forbidden to ask readers for their experiences with a give vendor through the use of the Private Message PM option.  Take a look at an open site where little or no holds are bared - THE H.A.M.B. forum.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

From where I sit, I don't see any problem with anyone PM'ing another Member with their information.

Personally, I also would hate to be spending good money on something that others had knowledge that could have saved me the money, worry and stress.

BUT, as others with a legal mind have explained the legal liability side of these matters of being sued, and the CLC is not in a position to cover court costs or judicial decisions, we cannot allow the possibility of being taken to court for allowing our controlled medium to be involved in problems.

I am not sure how other Forums get around the possibility of being sued, but there have been cases where Internet Service Providers have been charged and heavily fined for cases brought against them.

Bruce.

[Richardonly]

Speaking off the cuff, I would venture to say  that a disclaimer, such as those on a DVD stating that the "opinions" of those writing do not neccesarily represent those of the club, may be a way around this.

This would probably not prevent a vendor from taking the CLC to court, but the burden of proof, as to $$$s lost would be an unknown, so what would a settlement gain for them? The burden of proof of loss would be/ should be on the vendor.

Laws are also different from state to state.

Do we now have any lawyers or judges who could shed some light on this matter???

I, myself, have new/used parts in my garage that will never be used AND would never had been bought, had I had information on the vendor who sells inferior parts or gives bad customer servive.  THIS is the original reason I joined the CLC and sadly find it lacking in this area.

For many other things, I give them a thumbs up and a THANK YOU for all your hard work.

Regards, Richard

[Bill Hedge CLC 14424]

Richard:

The CLC has numerous members who are attorneys.  Those that come readily to mind are immediate past president Glenn Brown, and past president Richard Sills.  I am a moderator on this forum and also an attorney.  If you do a search, I am certain that you will find this subject has been addressed a number of times.  It is my opinion that the current rule is a good rule and should not be changed.

If a person desires to know the reputation of a particular vendor they are permitted to post that query on the board with a statement that negative experiences/opinions be sent via a pm (personal message) or email to the poster.

Bill Hedge

[C.R. Patton II]

Hello Bruce

I concur with Bill.

The current CLC Forum policy on this issue is effective with the LaSalle owners that I am acquainted with.